Where on earth do you start?

[Malcolm Bull]

A friend of mine was born out of wedlock during WW2.  He never knew his father.  His mother (now dead) would not give any clues or other details of the father and there are no signs of any dark secret lodged with siblings or other members of the family.

Is the situation a completely closed book?  I can't see any way out.  The only forlorn hope is that a GI (or similar) somewhere aged around 85 might remember a brief liaison with a London munitions worker called Dorothy.   We obviously have the approximate date for the liaison.

Any suggestions or advice I can give him?  There must be hundreds of such children.

TIA

Malcolm

[aghadowey]

Think it'd very very difficult to find anything about the father without having a name. I had helped several adopted children born during WWII trace birth parents- found the mother of one but it's doubtful she even knew who the father was herself and in the other cases there was more information to start with.

[downside]

I don't think it is a totally closed book.  DNA testing may help to narrow down the search and at some stage in the future there may be a match particularly if this guy's father had more children and they join a DNA database.

Finding out which American regiments were stationed here around the time of his conception may help.  Obviously there were a lot in the UK around the time of D-Day but if he was conceived before 1944 then it might narrow down the search somewhat.  If his mother has any surviving friends or relatives then they might recall her having an affair with someone - even if they remember a first name then it is an advance on what he already knows.

[shellyesq]

I was going to say DNA too.  I think they might even be able to connect him with cousins, aside from a half-sibling.

[aghadowey]

Problem with DNA testing is that you need to have an idea of who the father might be then find suitable DNA match.

Finding out which American regiments were stationed here around the time of his conception may help. Obviously there were a lot in the UK around the time of D-Day but if he was conceived before 1944 then it might narrow down the search somewhat.

Was the father definately an American soldier? (can't see that mentioned in first post). If the mother was working in London munitions factory the father could have been any nationality. Many soldiers not stationed in London were passing through or on leave there all during the War.

[downside]

Was the father definately an American soldier? (can't see that mentioned in first post).

This was stated in the first post:-

The only forlorn hope is that a GI (or similar) somewhere aged around 85

I therefore concluded GI = American soldier.

[chinakay]

Yes, GI=American soldier. Stands for Government Issue

Cheers,
China

[Gadget]

It's not at all clear whether the father was a GI.

I think that I'd start with the mother - where was she at that time, what did she do, does she have any friends still living who might know? etc. Work from hard info.

Gadget

[Malcolm Bull]

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.  In the absence of any recorded locations and other memories, it does seem a difficult (if not impossible) one without resorting to DNA techniques.

This does raise another question in my mind: supposing that my friend wanted to leave his DNA with a view to future technology being developed to identify possible links between disparate individuals, how would this be done?  Is there a formal way of putting one's DNA into an archive?  Or would my friend's children,  grandkids and further descendants be a suitable repository?

Malcolm